PA UC payment schedule - still biweekly or changed to weekly now?

PA UC is still biweekly for both filing and payments. Your brother will need to file every two weeks and payments will process after each successful biweekly filing (assuming no issues with his claim). The confusion might be because during the pandemic they temporarily changed some processes, but we're back to the standard biweekly schedule now. Make sure he files on his assigned filing day which is based on the last digit of his SSN.

its def biweekly, i just started my claim last month. u file for 2 weeks at once and get paid for both at same time. usually takes like 2-3 days after filing to get the $$ on the debit card they send u

omg the first payment takes FOREVER though!!! tell your brother to be prepared to wait like 3-4 weeks for the first payment. after that it's regular every 2 weeks but the initial wait is horrible

You file biweekly in PA, and you get paid biweekly. However, there are some important details your brother should know: 1. The first payment often takes 2-4 weeks to process as they verify eligibility 2. After that initial period, payments typically arrive 2-3 business days after filing 3. He must complete his weekly work search activities (at least 2 per week) 4. Filing is done on specific days based on the last digit of his SSN If he has trouble accessing his account or reaching someone at UC to check on his claim status, I'd recommend Claimyr (claimyr.com). I was getting nothing but busy signals for days, but they got me connected to a UC rep in under an hour. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2

It's technically called "biweekly filing" but the way it actually works is that you're certifying for TWO separate weeks at once. Each week is considered separately for eligibility, but you do the work at once and get paid for both eligible weeks together. Make sure your brother understands he needs to do (and document) at least two work search activities for EACH WEEK. That's the most common mistake people make - they think it's two activities total for the biweekly period, but it's actually two PER WEEK, so four total for each biweekly filing.

everyone is talking about biweekly this and biweekly that but honestly the real issue is that they STILL haven't fixed the website so half the time you can't even file when you're supposed to!!! i've been on unemployment since november and i swear the site crashes EVERY OTHER SUNDAY when everyone is trying to file!

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! I've passed all of this on to my brother. He's got his filing day figured out now (Thursday based on his SSN) and understands he needs to do 2 job applications each week and document them. He's prepared for the initial wait period too. Really appreciate all the tips and clarification!

Construction worker here who just went through this process in December. Can confirm everything everyone said about biweekly filing and payments. One thing that helped me a lot was setting up direct deposit right away instead of waiting for the Money Network card - payments hit my bank account faster than the card gets loaded. Also, your brother should know that if he picks up any odd jobs or day work while collecting (which is common in construction), he MUST report that income when he files or he could get in serious trouble. Even if it's just $50 for helping someone move, report it. The system will just reduce his benefit for that week rather than causing bigger problems later.

Just want to add that your brother should also make sure to set up his PIN and security questions correctly when he first applies - I've seen people get locked out of their accounts because they forgot their PIN or couldn't remember their security question answers. Write that stuff down and keep it somewhere safe! Also, if he's unionized through his construction job, he might want to check with his union rep about any specific procedures or benefits he should know about. Some unions have agreements that affect how unemployment works for their members.

One more thing that might help your brother - if he's having trouble with the PA UC website (which happens a lot, especially on filing days), he can also file by phone using the automated system. The number is 888-313-7284. It's available 24/7 and sometimes works when the website is down. I've had to use it a few times when the site crashed right before my filing deadline. The phone system walks you through the same questions as the website, just takes a bit longer. Also, make sure he keeps screenshots or notes of his confirmation numbers every time he files - having that record has saved me when there were system glitches and my filing didn't go through properly.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a newcomer here and actually going through the PA UC process myself right now after being laid off from my retail job last week. Reading through all these responses has cleared up so much confusion I had about the biweekly filing vs payment schedule. I was especially confused about the work search requirements - I thought it was just 2 activities total per filing period but now I understand it's 2 per week (so 4 total every two weeks). That's a big difference! Also really glad to know about the phone filing option and the tip about filing early in the morning to avoid website crashes. One question - does anyone know if volunteer work counts toward the work search requirement, or does it have to be paid job applications only?